Competitive bicycle racing requires cyclists spend a significant amount of time training and logging miles in order to be competitive. Ideally, riders train on the road or suitable pedestrian/bicycle paths. However, when the weather isn't suitable for riding, cyclists are often unable to train outdoors. While cyclists can use these days to cross train, such as swim or run on a treadmill, cross training does not replace nor is it as effective as time on a bike.
Accordingly, various training devices have been developed through the years that permit a cyclist to ride his or her bike while remaining stationary. One of the first of these devices is rollers. As the name implies, this device comprises a series of elongated cylinders that are situated perpendicularly bicycle wheel's direction of rotation and rotate as a user sits on, pedals and balances his or her bicycle. Essentially, the rolling cylinders replace the road and prevent the bicycle from being propelled forward when in use thereon.
One of the most significant issues with rollers is that they do not provide adequate resistance and as such riding a bicycle on rollers does not tend to tax the cardiovascular system of trained cyclists. To provide a cyclist with a cardiovascular workout, wind trainers were developed. Typical wind trainer comprises a small rotating cylinder to which one or more wind turbines are operatively coupled. When a bicycle is mounted to the trainer and ridden, rotation of the rear wheel turns the cylinder which in turn turns the wind turbines. Resistance created by the spinning turbines is transferred to the bicycle and the rider. The faster a rider pedals, the greater the resistance and the greater the cardiovascular strain experienced. Over time other means for creating resistance in place of wind turbines have become popular as well. For instance, stationary trainers utilizing magnetic and fluid resistance are well-known.
To mount a bicycle on a typical stationary trainer, the rear wheel of the bicycle and in particular the rear tire is placed in direct contact with a small rotating cylinder. Additionally, the rigid framework of the trainer is often coupled with the rear end of the bicycle frame or proximate to rear wheels axle. This helps prevent the bicycle form moving laterally during use. Depending on the style of trainer, the front wheel is either removed with the front fork being placed in dropouts or the front wheel remains on the bike and is used to stabilize the front end thereof. Most significantly, the front wheel and its associated tire remain essentially stationary while a bicycle is ridden on the trainer either on or off the bicycle and as such any wear on the front tire is minimal if there is any at all.
The rear tire, however, experiences wear as it is forced against and as it turns the cylinder to which the wind turbine or other resistance creating means is attached. The wear reduces the available lifespan of the tire and, as such, is undesirable. Accordingly, some riders may have a separate set of wheels (or separate rear wheel) with a spare or less expensive road tire mounted thereon. The rider exchanges the wheel having an expensive high dollar tire intended for outdoor use with the indoor training wheel whenever he/she desires to train indoors and switches back to the outdoor wheel before riding outdoors. While this exchange may be suitable to some riders, many riders do not have multiple sets of rear wheels each with its own cog set.
A rider with a single wheelset can opt to change the rear tire from the tire reserved for road use to one more suitable for trainer use. Unfortunately, switching out tires can take a significant amount of time and as such may only be suitable when the rider is not expecting to be using the bicycle outside for an extended period, such as in the dead of winter. However, in season a rider may need to switch between outdoor and indoor training depending on the nature of the weather on a daily basis making the operation of changing tires particularly onerous and impractical. Furthermore, changing tires may be even more problematic for those riders that employ a tubeless tire system that relies upon a semi-liquid gel to seal a tire to the rim. Simply, changing a tubeless tire and resealing the tire is exceedingly time consuming and is therefore done only when absolutely necessary.